Corey Pavin's confidence has been quietly building the past six months. Put him on a course where he feels like a champion, and even he wasn't surprised to see his name atop the leaderboard after two rounds of the Colonial.

Carving his shots through tree-lined fairways, Pavin took another step toward resembling a former U.S. Open champion with a 6-under 64 today to take a one-stroke lead over John Cook, who had a 66.

"It's only a matter of time before I win again," said Pavin, a two-time Colonial winner who was at 7-under 133 and in good position to end the worst slump of his career.

With tamer winds and some cloud cover to keep the course from getting crusty in the late afternoon, Colonial Country Club played nearly 2-1/2 strokes easier than the first round and allowed 51 players to break par. Only 15 players were in the 60s on Thursday.

Perhaps the most surprising round came from Phil Mickelson, who finished with three straight birdies for a 63 that left him two strokes back along with Scott Hoch (66), Billy Mayfair (67) and Joe Durant (66).

Mickelson's wife is expecting their first child next month after what has been a rough pregnancy, and he has appeared distracted on the course. But his short game lived up to its reputation and Mickelson managed eight birdies.

"She's feeling better," he said after a quick phone call home when his round was over. "She's had a difficult time, but the baby and her are very healthy."

Mark Calcavecchia, Steve Elkington and Fred Funk were another stroke back at 136. Davis Love III, in his first tournament since back problems resurfaced the week after the Masters, had a 66 and was at 138.

First-round leader Steve Flesch had a 74 and was at 140.

Defending champion Tom Watson, playing his final regular PGA Tour event before turning 50 in September and joining the Senior PGA Tour, will get two more rounds with the youngsters. He played the back 2 under for a 70, and narrowly made the cut at 144.

David Frost also made the cut at 144, thanks to his eagle 2 from the 18th fairway.

For nearly two years after Pavin won the Colonial, it was all he could do to make a cut. With 14 victories on the PGA Tour and 10 more around the world, he ignored problems with his swing and nearly vanished from every tournament he entered.

The last time he had a lead was May 19, 1996, when he donned a plaid jacket after coming from behind to beat Jeff Sluman by two strokes at Colonial. Pavin earned $267,000 over the past two seasons -- a little more than half of what he could make by winning this week.

"My expectations are certainly higher now," Pavin said.

They should be. He tied for fifth in the MCI Classic, his best finish since winning the MasterCard Colonial three years ago. He took three weeks off without touching a club, returned in the Byron Nelson Classic and opened with a 63.

"That was kind of a surprise," Pavin said. "Last week I played well, but this week I felt more comfortable. I'm not saying I expected this, but at least I felt it was certainly possible. This golf course suits my game."

The comfort level was obvious. Pavin sought out the perfect line on the hard-rolling fairways and shaped his shot accordingly. And just like the Pavin of old, he used his blade putter to ram home the important putts. Four of his birdies were from 15 to 20 feet, and he had two par saves from the bunker on the back nine with 10-foot putts.

Hoch also made a nice recovery, his didn't take nearly as long. He was at 6 under on Thursday until he began missing greens long and making bogeys, five over the last seven holes.

Then he missed the 12th green again on Friday.

"That's where I started going downhill yesterday," he said. "I turned it around today."

He played 1 under -- a six-shot difference than the day before - and is in contention for the weekend.

Divots: Peter Jacobsen's approach on No. 9 landed in a hamburger carton in the lap of Fran Morin. Jacobsen took a bite of her hamburger, a swig of her drink, took a drop and made bogey. A year ago, Morin's husband caught the ball that Watson tossed into the gallery after he won. ... The PGA Tour matched the contribution from 21 players for a donation to Oklahoma's tornado relief effort. The total check was $31,996.34. ... Colonial officials ask standard bearers not to post a score higher than 9 over. But as Paul Stankowski walked off the 18th tee, he insisted that his volunteer post his score of 12 over -- then made birdie with an approach into 3 feet. ... John Daly withdrew after an 80 in the first round. It was the second time this year Daly has withdrawn. The other was after an 83 in the first round of The Players Championship.